Mutating Concepts, Evolving Disciplines: Genetics, Medicine, and Society

Advances in genetics, such as the Human Genome Project's successful mapping of the human genome and the discovery of ever more sites of disease-related mutations, invite re-examination of basic concepts underlying our fundamental social practices and institutions. Having children, assigning responsibility, identifying causes, using social and scientific resources to improve human well-being, among other concepts, will never be the same. Our concepts of moral and legal responsibility, cause and effect, disease prevention, health, disability, enhancement, personal identity, and reproductive autonomy and responsibility are all subtly changing in response to developments in genetics. Biology, law, medicine, and other disciplines are also evolving in response to mutating concepts in genetics itself-for example, dominance, causation, behavior, gene expression, and gene. The selections in this volume employ philosophical and historical perspectives to shed light on classic social, ethical, and philosophical issues raised with renewed urgency against the backdrop of the mapping of the human genome.